A Test of Faith Part #3

Earl Gillespie

A Test Of Faith

Part #3

It is with great apprehension and heaviness of heart that I begin to write the third part of this article called, " A Test of Faith." A truism is, those that are without faith cannot be tested, so there is some consolation in that . Sunday was the first Sunday of the new year. I did not go to church Sunday. As a matter of fact over the last year my church attendance slowed again considerable. What I mean by 'slowed considerable' is that over the past years I had ramped up my church attendance to a point of attending church services two to three times a week and teaching a bible study class. I did go to church on New Years eve at the request of a local pastor, but prior to that my attendance has digressed to that point of attending church services for funerals only.

Even as a Bible study student I can accept the declaration of being called a lost sheep. Now in the book of Matthew 18:12, Jesus set forth a process of dealing with lost sheep when he said, " How think ye? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?" It would appear that Jesus is speaking to the, or about the shepherd of the flock. If this is true then it seems that a knowledgeable Shepherd would be willing to sit down and address the problems that the sheep is having without exposing a righteous state of indignation or invoking a pious state of condemnation. When a minister or church member began to counsel or speak using false accusations or his personal feelings on a subject, they must be careful or they will lose their credibility in the eyes of the lost sheep. The sheep who is stuck in the brush may not have left the flock in a mischievous mood, it might have been running from the wolf.

This country whose formation was based upon the Bible, one nation united under God and sanctified the very concept of religious freedom. Today this is no longer true, the United States, this administration whose ethnic diversification proclaims it to be ordained by God is leading the battle to destroy everything that Christianity holds dear. The Government has used money to forge a marriage with the leaders of the church and hand and hand they are marching into a prosperous future. This same deed was preformed by Constantine and the early Christian church, and Jesus condemns it in the Book of Revelation.

This country whose formation was based upon the Bible, one nation united under God and sanctified the very concept of religious freedom. Today this is no longer true, the United States, this administration whose ethnic diversification proclaims it to be ordained by God is leading the battle to destroy everything that Christianity holds dear. The Government has used money to forge a marriage with the leaders of the church and 'hand and hand' they are marching into a prosperous future. This same deed was preformed by Constantine and the early Christian church, and Jesus condemns it in the Book of Revelation. 

The quote 'the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist' is from a movie named The Usual Suspects. It is how the devil operates today. In church we are to refrain from speaking of the devil.

Continuing my search for the faith that was once delivered to our forefather, I pray that my struggle is not in vain. It seems that the world of Christianity has been blinded by its own words and excesses, and the existence of God has become dependant upon the recital of self serving fairy tales. The question is, does true faith mean we should glory in the things that are pertaining to this world? Now follow me on this, there are things that happen as a result of God creation, the sun shines and the rain falls. Is waking up this morning a special favor from God? I know you can recite a full dissertation of how he didn't have to do it but he did. Now, I ask you is our desire to remain here is in direct proportion to our desire not to be with God. Is ruling with Jesus all about walking around Heaven all day, or do we just sprout wings and sit on a cloud and shout Holy, Holy all day long? Matthew 5:45 that ye may be sons of your Father who is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. Does it make us more righteous than the sinner to spend our day thanking God for the sunshine? 

Matthew 20:4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Imagine the Lord of the vineyard returning and finding the workers standing around talking about how good he was for giving them a job. The work that is done in the vineyard is in direct proportion to who is in charge. If I can't be in charge of this or that is a common fallacy within the church, whereas the church should represent a group of people working together, not for the glory of the pastor but for the glory of God. The desire to be a leader is the same as the desire to be a superstar on stage, a certain amount of vanity is required. A vast number of leaders accepted the position of a leader, simply because they wanted to be looked upon as somebody and their people skill suffers the same as the rock stars. 

Knowledge and truth as pertaining to a particular situation are precious commodities. As a body of factual information and legitimate principles, knowledge it can be concluded that it is indispensable in human relationships. Truth, as knowledge justifiably believed, represents a fundamental reality that transcends both the provincial and the temporal. We are desirous of obtaining a certain amount of knowledge that they then can put to good use in their everyday lives. And, undoubtedly the sheep who has strayed from the fold prefer to be dealt with honestly and truthfully. One of the Ten Commandments, in fact, was based upon just such a concept: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Truthfulness always has been the basis for the moral, legal, and ethical codes of nations. When Solomon sought to judge he asked God for guidance, if he had judged unwisely fifty percent of his credibility would have been lost. Many have lost their credibility and are existing in a state of denial. The truth is a commodity of God, shaped truth is a commodity of the devil. “Buy the truth, and sell it not,” said the Proverbs writer (23:23). He who possesses correct knowledge has within him the potential to discern, and then act upon, truth. Knowledge frees us from the shackles of ignorance; truth frees from the shackles of error. Indeed, knowledge and truth are precious commodities. 

A man was criticized because he chose to sit on a plastic cushion on the floor, rather than sit on the fine sofa. He was accused of being ridiculous and other hurtful adjectives were used. The truth of the situation was, it was a medical condition that made him choose to sit on plastic rather than cloth. A righteous person will see this situation and reason within himself, 'why?' The conclusion would be if he doesn't tell me I am not going to ask. 

I have spent a big portion of my life running from confrontations and situations, yet when they overtake me it is my fault. Then come the religious rights with their bags of garbage and dump them on my porch and I suppose to smile and act contrite. God forbid. There is that indoctrinated core that believes that if you are supposed to represent the Word of God, nothing you can say or do is wrong. God forbid. The preacher that broke into another preacher's home and raped his daughter was he right? The preacher that introduced a seventeen year old boy to prostitutes, could he testify he was doing the will of God? God forbid.  The preacher that made up lies and presented them as the truth, is he doing the work of God? 

In Matthew 18:6, Jesus said "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."  But, we don't believe everything tin the Bible , do we?

A Test Of Faith

Part #4

A Conversation